Google Doodle Contest: My Best Day Ever!

Google is a ubiquitous part of our culture. We all regularly “Google something” when we want to know a fact or prove a point and the Google logo and “doodles” are not only part of our lives, but familiar and identifiable to millions (maybe billions) around the globe.

How cool would that be if your Google “doodle” was displayed on Google’s home page for the world to see? Or better yet, what if the doodle of one of the kids in your life was? AND, what if one of the kids in your life also received a $30,000 college scholarship as well as a $50,000 technology grant for their school. AND what if they had their art work displaced prominently in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, where they were personally honored at the opening event showcasing their work of art! Pretty cool right? Stay tuned as we share with you how this all could come true!

In the meantime, here are some “real life” professional Google Doodlers, in their own words, giving advice on the what they feel makes a great Google Doodle:

I know you are now asking yourself why we are sharing all of this with you on ClimateMama and what does a Google Doodle have to do with climate change? Easy! First of all this contest sounds like SO much fun and we think it REALLY is an amazing opportunity so we wanted to share it with you. Second, why not make it about climate change?

I recently got to talk to Krisztina Radosavlievic-Szilagyi, Google’s Manager for Global Communications and Public Affairs about the 2013 Doodle 4 Google Contest. Grab the kids in your life and share with them some of the things I found out from Krisztina.

Me: Tell me a little about the contest?

Krisztina: This is the 6th year we have been running the Doodle 4 Google contest, and every year we are amazed and incredibly impressed by the creativity of kids and the beautiful, cool and amazing art they make. The 2013 Doodle 4 Google contest has the theme: “My best day ever” and the contest is open to US citizens and permanent residents from kindergarten through 12th grade. Kids are encouraged to use their imagination and create a Google Doodle of “their” best day ever, which could be a “real” or imagined day from their past, present or future.

Submissions are divided into 5 grade groups with one winner selected from each of the 50 states. While there will only be one “grand prize” winner, each state winner will also win prizes, be invited to New York City and have their Google Doodle showcased at the American Museum of Natural History! The contest is open now, and closes on March 22nd. State winners will be announced May 1st and the grand prize winner will be announced at the National Awards Ceremony in NYC on May 22nd.

Me: How and who judges the submissions and what are you looking for?

Krisztina: Goggle employees judge the contest with the help of special “guest judges” too. Our own professional doodlers tell me they are regularly “awed and humbled” by the kid’s submissions. In judging the doodles, we look at how the kids uniquely express themselves through the doodle, how they incorporate the Google logo into the theme, how well they use their imaginations and how they make their their “wildest ideas” come to life. In this regard, we also carefully read and review their 50 word written submission which explaining their doodle. In other words, it’s really how the whole “enchilada” comes together (my words not Krisztina’s!)

If you have more questions that weren’t answered above, you will likely find the answers on the Doodle 4 Google page.

Here are some kids sharing their ideas on what “their best day ever” looks like.

My “best day” ever? I imagine my best day ever will be a day in the “not too distant future” where I will be sitting at a big table, with President Obama at the head, and with other moms, dads, kids, scientists, politicians, business and faith leaders in the room and around the table too. We will all be discussing and sharing our different but complementary ideas for addressing and roles for implementing – solutions to the climate crisis. I have the doddle all figured out in my head!

Unfortunately I am too old for this particular Doddle competition which is only for kids in K-12th grades. But the good news is that Krisztina tells me Google is always open to new ideas. In fact, she told me that anyone can send doodle ideas directly to Google at anytime throughout the year from anywhere around the world. She told me that “you never know” what you might see and what Google might choose to showcase. So why don’t YOU join me in asking Google to help show what climate change solutions might look like! Hey you never know!

Also, as an FYI and for something to look for….while researching this post we learned a lot about what Google is doing to reduce their own company’s carbon emissions and how Google is fighting climate change directly too. Stay tuned for more on this in an upcoming post…

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